SEOUL, June 18 — Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed gratitude to North Korea for its support of his actions in Ukraine and committed to close cooperation to overcome U.S.-led sanctions as he headed to Pyongyang on Tuesday for a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Putin’s remarks appeared in an op-ed in North Korean state media just hours before his expected arrival in North Korea for a two-day visit, marking his first trip to the country in 24 years. This visit underscores the deepening alignment between the two nations as they face escalating confrontations with Washington.
In the op-ed, Putin praised North Korea’s steadfast support of his invasion of Ukraine and stated that both nations would “resolutely oppose” Western efforts to hinder the establishment of a multipolar world order based on mutual respect and justice. He further announced plans for developing trade and payment systems independent of Western control and vowed to jointly oppose what he termed “unilateral and illegal restrictive measures.”
North Korea faces stringent U.N. Security Council economic sanctions over its nuclear weapons and missile programs, while Russia is grappling with sanctions imposed by the United States and its Western allies due to its aggression in Ukraine. Putin highlighted that the two countries would also enhance cooperation in tourism, culture, and education.
Putin’s visit comes amid increasing concerns about a potential arms deal where North Korea supplies Russia with much-needed munitions for the Ukraine war in exchange for economic aid and technological transfers to bolster Kim’s nuclear and missile programs. Since Kim’s visit to the Russian Far East in September for his first meeting with Putin since 2019, military, economic, and other exchanges between North Korea and Russia have intensified.
U.S. and South Korean officials have accused North Korea of providing Russia with artillery, missiles, and other military equipment to support its war efforts in Ukraine, possibly in return for critical military technologies and aid. Both Pyongyang and Moscow have denied these accusations, which would violate multiple U.N. Security Council sanctions that Russia previously endorsed.
Alongside China, Russia has provided political cover for North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, repeatedly blocking U.S.-led efforts to impose new U.N. sanctions on North Korea over its weapons tests. In March, a Russian veto at the United Nations ended monitoring of U.N. sanctions against North Korea’s nuclear program, sparking Western accusations that Moscow seeks to avoid scrutiny while acquiring weapons from Pyongyang for use in Ukraine.
Earlier this year, Putin sent Kim a high-end Aurus Senat limousine, which he had shown Kim during their September summit, in a move observers say violated a U.N. resolution banning the supply of luxury items to North Korea.
John Kirby, spokesperson for the U.S. National Security Council, expressed concern over the deepening relationship between Moscow and Pyongyang, highlighting potential impacts on the Korean Peninsula’s security. Kirby noted that North Korean ballistic missiles are being used in Ukraine, and there could be reciprocity affecting regional security.
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula are at their highest in years, with both Kim’s weapons tests and combined military exercises between the United States, South Korea, and Japan intensifying. Recently, South Korean soldiers fired warning shots to repel North Korean soldiers who crossed the land border for the second time this month. North Korea has been increasing construction activity in frontline border areas, including installing suspected anti-tank barriers and planting land mines.
After North Korea, Putin will visit Vietnam on Wednesday and Thursday to discuss trade. The United States, which has been strengthening ties with Vietnam, criticized Putin’s planned visit. A U.S. Embassy spokesperson in Vietnam stated, “No country should give Putin a platform to promote his war of aggression and normalize his atrocities.”
